Melbourne Dining Hotspots

I may have temporarily fallen off the blogging bandwagon but I definitely haven't stopped my favourite past time, eating out.

After the excitement of hearing Pim Té of the inspirational Chez Pim would be visiting Melbourne as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival I decided I better actually get to it and write down out my Melbourne Must Visit List.

The list is formed with savvy internationals in mind but no doubt savvy Melbourne-ites will find it just as useful.

So here it is: (with links to the official website, where possible)

Restaurants

Attica -Ben Shewry is at one with his internationally acclaimed food, a kiwi that cooks from his heart, yet uses techniques to marvel, oh and a great guy to boot

Cumulus Inc/Cutler & Co -You can't eat in Melbourne without visiting one of Andrew McConnells restaurants, I love the relaxed nature of the bar overlooking the kitchen at Cumulus but Cutler is where the pure McConnell innovation is at

Rumi/Gigibaba -Lebanese/Turkish. Vividly fresh Middle Eastern flavours at both sites, usually packed to the rafters so arrive early

Pearl/Ezard -Modern Australian cuisine; frenchy techniques, lots of Asian produce and flourishes Melbourne icon restaurants

Circa, the Prince -a recent luxe refurbishment and a roof top kitchen garden make Circa feel like a new, yet strangely very familiar old favourite restaurant

Giuseppi, Arnaldo and Sons -Maurice Terzini's Melbourne outpost (home-post?) and the perfect moody spot especially for a late meal or snack (website is nearly useless, try my posts)

Hellenic Republic -its too hard to pick from the huge casual Greek menu, so have the trapeze menu and save reading the translations but make sure to ask for the lamb from the courtyard spit

MoVida (a bar stool at the original, Next Door as a second choice) -Modern tapas and Spanish wine, consistently buzzy and in high demand for good reason

Stokehouse -its a shame Melbourne doesn't have a nicer beach but once you're sitting upstairs at Stoke looking at the water-filled horizon it will not matter much. Slick service and food, and a beachy dining room thats getting a substantial overhaul come winter

Gills Diner -casual share friendly food that has meticulously been made in house, an eclectic winelist and passionate friendly manager that looks after regulars with extra TLC

Rockpool Bar and Grill -many of Australias best here; probably the best available aged meat in Australia, seafood direct from the fishermen and an unrivalled winelist. Its a fast paced grill thats used as a special occasion place for many or a spot for a cheeky wagyu burger for many others

Dainty Sichuan -Like sichuan numb lips? Go to Dainty, enough said.

Coffee

MarketLane -roasts in house, espresso, pour-over, clover

Brother Baba Budan -espresso, clover

Seven Seeds -espresso, clover

Wall Two 80 -espresso (and my thinking place)

Outpost by St Ali -all of the coffee gadgets!

Breakfast

Deadman Espresso -coffee good enough to join the list above and an interesting menu too

European -inside or outside very Melbournian

St Ali -as per Deadman Espresso, and just around the corner as well

Cafe Vue, St Kilda Rd -you could go to the Shannon Bennett's fancy restaurant or get the plush without the fuss

Bars

City Wine Shop -afternoon glass of something interesting

Supper Club and Siglo -late night (early morning?) institution

1806/De Raum -molecular cocktails

Izakaya Den/Coda -smart subterranean bars and even smarter snacks

Foodie Shopping

Baker D Chirico -organic sourdough breads and pastries

Melbourne Farmers Market -changing location, at Gasworks, South Melbourne the weekend of the 20th March

Prahran Market -I host Hidden Gems Tours on Thursdays and Saturdays

La Latteria -Mozzarella Lab. Go!

Essential Ingredient/Simon Johnson -Australias answer to Fauchon

Casa Iberica -Everything Spanish

Mediterranean Wholesalers -European supersized supermarket

Short Trips

Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld

Sunnybrae, Birregurra

Healesville, Yarra Valley (whole town)

Aussie Must Taste List

Pearl Meat

Wild Barramundi

Finger lime

Angasi Oyster

Kangaroo

Mud Crab

Blackmore Waygu/Mishima (if available)

Yarra Valley Salmon Roe

Vegemite/Pavlova and other Aussie cliches

This is my short (long) list, so what have I missed?

Crunchy, spicy fish - Thailand

I've been jet setting about a bit lately and have finally taken the time to go through the huge amount of photos I have on both my camera and iPhone - as I suspected 80% of them are of food!

One of the photos I was excited to find was this fish we ate at a beach front restaurant on Phi Phi Island, Thailand. We loved it so much we went back two days later and had it again.

The fish is what they were locally calling 'seabass'. The delicate white flesh was filleted on one side away from the bone frame, yet still attached, then fried until crunchy on the outside yet translucently perfect in the middle.

The proverbial icing on the cake was the spicy salad on top; prawn pieces, shredded carrot, chinese celery, cashew nuts, green apple (to our surprise!), shallot, coriander and chilli. Dressed in your typical Thai hot, salty, sweet and sour flavours.

This was complimented with what is a more Chinese inspired dish of fresh shiitake mushrooms with choi sum and lots of garlic.

I wish I could eat both these dishes again now. Right now.

Reflecting on these and many other photos, I can't help but notice the beautiful and complimentary plates the dishes were served on. Often, the casual places we ate at the plates would be more perfunctionary bordering on ugly and chipped, this type of thoughtfulness you only usually find at the best of places, not were lunch and drinks for two costs $30 Aussie.

It was evident that there was love in that kitchen and we could taste, and see it.

Coda Bar + Restaurant

I keep starting and restarting this post; how do I describe the food at Coda that actually informs a diner more thoroughly than what I was before we visited?
I thought about what we ate and when, how we ate it, and then thought about the house named roll and how it essentially sums up the Coda palate:

'Coda roll, crisp parcel of bone marrow, ginger, shiitake mushroom and rice paddy herb'

Essentially a spring roll with pieces of bone marrow, shiitake and ginger inside, served with a lemon based dressing and stalks of lemony rice paddy herb. The bone marrow was rich and palate coating yet the dressing and herb add a refreshing acid lift.
I loved this. I love the seamless fusion of the ideas.

All the other dishes we ate were not neat fusions of Eur-Asian ideas such as the Coda Roll. The menu seemed to be split into South East Asian dishes focusing on Vietnam and Thailand or pure French benchmarks such as parfait, tartare and terrine. Yet as you would expect from a modern Australian menu there was Asian produce mixed through the European stalwarts; so oysters served with mirin and pomelo, or ginger in our coleslaw makes perfect sense, to us.

What didn't make perfect sense to me was the powerful flavours of Asia served at the same time as delicate French classics; my MacLeay Valley rabbit cassoulet was absolutely swamped on the taste front, by the in-your-face aromats of mussels stir fried with rice wine, chinese sausage and chilli. Likewise our steak tartare seemed under seasoned (perhaps it was) in comparison to the 'Quail Delight' flavour bombs or the spanner crab, galangal, chilli and lime betel leaves.

Perhaps these are just opening wobbles, we did dine just 8 days into what I no doubt predict will be a very successful business, but next time I will definitely be more careful about asking when my dishes will be served.

A high point of our evening was the amazing service. Mykal -who's face I know from MoVida and his partner Kate were absolutely glowing with pride in their first venue. Our waiter was friendly and had that perfect knack of being there just at the right time (though she had no idea of what the cheese selection was that night - perhaps that's a good indicator of the overriding importance put on the Asian dishes, especially since another person explained the use of the paddy herb with the precision of a biologist).

No doubt with chef partner Adam D'Sylva in the kitchen Asian dishes will be a focus, I just hope to see some balance across the broad range of flavours, tweaks are inevitable in a new restaurant and I am excited about my next visit, some of my most memorable European food experiences have happened in Asia, from artistic artichokes in Dalat to exquisitely matured Epoisses in Hong Kong and my favourite fusion on all, the banh mi. I hope to continue this traditional now at home, in Melbourne.

Welcome Coda.

The Deanery, Melbourne

Still in catchup mode, I started this last week before my weekend in NZ...


Tonight I headed out for dinner with a girlfriend, we had no real plans but a short list of possibilities. It was too early for our first choice, Coda (due to open properly next week; soft opening from tomorrow) so The Deanery, Robin Wickens new-ish haunt, it was.


So yes, I wasn't in the head space for it but its certainly didn't win me over; food, service, wine, ambiance or value.


I've drank at The Deanery many times and even had a few bar snacks over the years but have never felt inclined to eat there. It feels like a bar and to be honest I guess they know that, that's why when we arrived and asked about having dinner we were advised that we would be "more comfortable" upstairs.

So we are lead upstairs, around a corner to a spot-lit, double set table. We realise that yes, the bar space was definitely more of what we had in mind, yet we are now here and at the mercy of an assortment of waiters. House made bread arrives, oh no this just isn't what I had in mind at all.

If I wanted flavoured bread, I'd go to Bakers Delight...

The night rolls on from here. The food is fine; fancy but fine. The menu is impossible to decipher (and that's rich coming from me) and the dishes we receive though interesting are far from what we could possibly image - maybe that's the point? (My thoughts and pictures are on twitter, here, here, here and here)

Well I guess the ex-Interlude customers (read: older, richer, stuffier, conservative) would like this but from a glance around the empty dining room I guess that's all it will impress, and hey didn't Interlude go out of business? Either we don't get him or he doesn't get us but Robin Wickens food seems more than a little out of touch with the current hospitality climate.

Without nagging on any further, I feel I must mention the service... just strange...
Stiff, a bit pompous ("so, no entree for you?", "just a glass?") and plain unthoughtful. A silly mess with our credit card payments with three enquiries from different waiters and a forgotten scarf left in the center of our table as we sipped digestives in the bar (we were informed of the scarf, by a fellow diner and strangly not the waiter that must have moved it there). I'm not sure what it was all about but I am uncertain who was in charge of the dining room that night and I guess that's my answer.

So The Deanery, what can I say.
Pop in for a drink by all means, the wines are reasonably priced but don't be lead up the stairs to the dining room, I don't think you will be "more comfortable" up there.

Oh and even the MasterChef caption writer can spell Caesar (as in the salad) why can't The Deanery? At a diningroom like this, it's all about trust, trust that everyone is as keen and passionate about the product as the diner; this just screams to me that they can't be bothered.

Sorry guys, no wonder the traditional media haven't published anything, maybe I should have followed suit in the "if you can't say something nice..." bandwagon but its just not in my nature.

Hutong, Hong Kong

Amnesty Post

This will be the last of my catch-up posts but I think the best.

Hutong was on our must dine list whilst in Hong Kong in July last year; Sichuan food as good as it gets apparently. Didn't need to know anymore apart from the instruction to have a pre-dinner cocktail at Aqua on the floor above.

High attention to detail tables, beautifully lit.

Ornate flatware that has me flipping it to take down the details.

" Green asparagus coated in white sesame"; crunchy fat asparagus with sweet sesame crunch.

" Chilli spiced bamboo clams (razor clams) steeped in Chinese rose wine and chilli sauce"; stunning, powerful flavours. Absolutely the dish of the night, and beautifully presented.

"Drunken crispy pigeon, half a crispy roasted pigeon and half a pigeon poached in Chinese wine"; the most tender of meats, intriguing presentation and pigeon brains to nibble.

"Golden fried pork tendon with scallions and dried prawn roe"; texturally perfect, crunchy, chewy, gelatinous and incredibly rich. Needed half this quantity.

"'Red Lantern' crispy soft shell crabs with Sichuan red peppers"; this dish reminded me of a child's play pen with thousands of balls... find the crab in the chillis.

Even with removing the crabs from the pit of dried chillis, this dish was so hot we laughed and cried at the same time. Perfectly crispy and seasoned well, just not as interesting to the palate as to the eye.

Dessert because we felt obligated but wish we didn't bother. "Coconut three ways(I think)"; bland dull, no passion.

Hutong offered some amazing food, presented in a beautiful manner in stunning surrounds. The service, as with all of our experiences in HK (except the 'western style' service at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon), was shaky at best. Too many waiters, too many strange repetitive conversations, too often.
The experience at Hutong, sets a new benchmark in my mind of how stunning Chinese food can be, elapsing every experience I have of this style of food, Flowerdrum included.

Go for the food and views, and the stunning food porn images you can take with the spot-lighted tables!

France or Greece? Or is it Australia?

Amnesty Week Post -written 14th January 2009

Lets stop and smell the Australian culinary 'roses' for a moment...

And reflect on how lucky we are in Melbourne, and Australia, in general.

We have richly diverse cultural backgrounds that has given us an incredible choice of dining options, something that I never give much thought to until I am overseas on holiday and eating the same food everyday.
I do like to eat like a local on holiday, so when in France it's the quaint bistros that get my patronage, in Vietnam the brightly flavoured salads are frequent features, in Hong Kong it was roast goose and in Macau the 'portuguese' custard tarts.

But in Melbourne it could be anything, and that's what must be so exciting and confusing for visitors, there is not one strong theme that I'd call Melbourne or Australian food.

As you may know, if you have read here before, I'm not the type to mince my words and get confused about food, Australian food does have a style of its own, its just that until you have spent some time here, it's kind of hard to get your head around.

I was trying to explain this to some English tourists on the weekend, "Australian food is about freshness; European in the originating idea but with Asian flavour twists and ingredients. We still love comfort style food from the 'motherland' but will tweak it", (who hasn't eaten curried tuna mornay served with a side of fried rice from the local Chinese takeaway - ok in the 90's maybe - but now you are getting the drift).

The point I am making is that our food, the stuff we cook at home is varied, and we are not afraid to mix tradition with modern and throw caution into the wind but the really beautiful thing is that you can also go the other way. You can experience pure examples of what it is like dining in another country without travelling there, which is what I have done recently at Hellenic Republic and France Soir.

Not quite Greece; Hellenic Republic, Brunswick East
I'd had a glimpse of the food late last year and have been killing to get in and try George Calambaris' agapi packed food.

Firstly a warning, Hellenic Republic is frantically busy, but for all you people that like to plan your meals you can book (of which I am incredibly surprised at considering the prices), so I would advise this, unless you are prepared to smile and hope for the best, as a walk in.

The menu is intimidatingly huge, with more than 20 'piata' small plates plus a selection of cheeses and meats. Then there is also more than a dozen grill options such as meats, fish, shellfish and vegetables, some composed dishes such as Moussaka and then also desserts.

Despite this the dishes are very clear about what they are, citing a Greek name and then a English descriptor but for me, ita ll a bit too much like hard work, sifting through, tossing up this combo with that, oh but what if I forgot about this, is it balanced, and most importantly will I have dish envy as they fly past to other tables.

So. We settled on the first of the 'trapezi' menus, a set menu offering a selection from the menu. Some vegetables, dip, seafood and meat with fruit for dessert. The second menu option also included a dessert course.
I knew the food looked good, I could trust it would taste good, yet the value question was the one I wasn't sure about. Well rest assured we walked out two hours later stuffed to the gills; feed watered and relaxed with loud but fun Greek music.
Just like a Greek holiday, yet not nearly as far (well it is a fair way to Brunswick East from St Kilda!)

Not quite France; France Soir, South Yarra
I think I have dined in less interesting bistros in France, France Soir is one of those places that just has me hopping. Moving between the tables as we sit I resist the strange urge to say "merci", yet I can't resist a glass of chilled Lillet Blanc.
Glancing across the menu I don't really need to look as I already know what I will see, typical, down the line classic french bistro fair -just what the doctor ordered! With what has to be Melbourne's cheapest shucked to order oysters, if they are in season I can't go past them, if not -like on my recent visit- the lambs brains or steak tartare become contenders. Even maybe the salade Nicoise.
Conversation is always lean upon arrival at France Soir, as the encyclopedic wine list requires a heavy time investment from PDC but that's fine as I sit back and watch the comings and goings of the humming dining room.
The service is always a bit of a game for me, its just not the same at France Soir if our waiter is not at least a little bit detached from us; somewhat charming, perhaps flirtatious, a little more distracted and gossipy with the other waiters. I nearly expect to see them smoking in the bar as I experienced in Lyon a few years back. Never too busy for a cigarette or a gossip with the other waiters.

Don't let the GFC hold back your foodie travel plans, both of these restaurants offer amazing value and an experience you would have to otherwise travel the globe for.
Lucky us huh!

Where the hell is Jack??

Missing in action, but now recovered...

Full news to come on Monday with some fun Sydney based food stories to share.

Now if only I had time to make it to Universal; bugger Bodega and Spice I am will have to do... with guest appearances by some of the most inspiring food people I have meet in a while.

Can you guess where I dined last week?

Melbourne's cheapest, shucked to order, oysters from a selection of regions

A wine list that informs and challenges in it's industry startling breadth

Professional service, no 19 year old, recent tafe graduates here

International cheeses served in copious portions, for what must barely cover their costs

Full at 11pm on a Sunday evening, and people still trying to get tables


I hadn't dined there for nearly two years, I'd forgotten about how much I enjoyed it. Have you?

The craft of service

One relationship is broken and another fails to launch, its been a tough week for service in my dining shoes.

About six months ago I wrote about a newish place that I had developed a relationship with - a trust.
I go there, I eat and drink. I enjoy the staff and their service. The location is convenient for me, I therefore can and do go regularly. But the relationship has been strained recently, I have had a few patchy experiences, PDC has had worse. I went there again the other day, a little cautious now, it seemed great and then it all went sour. It was wrong, they just didn't care, the service was appalling, and not even rude just absolutely careless.

I'm sad and angry, I had recommended this place, I have spent time there, but I just can't justify going there again - perhaps ever. They have been given many chances, but the culture has changed (perhaps reflecting on other bloggers at the time, its been like that all along?).
It's broken, it's over.

Another local relationship this week didn't even get off the ground.
A highly reviewed pub dining room, recommended strongly by friends (to their embarrassment, when we all dined together), the service was uneducated, untrained and strained. The staff didn't know better, the management didn't respond to my calls for love (ie clearing my own table to the bar and asking for dessert and cheese menus).
The food was good, even great in parts but was let down by the service and some faux pas like kitchen oversights, such as uncooked soggy chips or the lack of bread being offered.
I wanted to form a relationship, to become a fan like my friends, but I can't.

I can not and will not tolerate bad, uncaring, inconsistent service. I can not support managers and owners that think people don't know better or don't care what another 'number' in their business thinks.
I'll patronise places that make me feel good about being there, places that value my relationship with them... it goes both ways and I have been given nothing back.
Its over, and it never began. What a sad week.

Ugly furniture seals fate?

Has China Tea House on Chapel St, South Yarra closed down already?

It's been open since May and scared me off because of its hideous furniture and fit out, and a menu that features Thai and pan Asian flavours with a Cantonese focus - ie yum cha daily. Well not today anyway...

I have been curious about this place after reading the glowing reviews here, here and here. I was terribly tempted to twist PDCs arm and head there for some dumpling action tomorrow but unfortunately it was closed lunch today and again dinner tonight and they are not answering the phone, not very positive signs for a trading restaurant.

Perhaps that furniture has scared off more people than just me? Have you dined there? Does an awful fit out disturb you as much as a good one inspires me?

Greenhouse, Melbourne

Where in Melbourne can you eat a menu written by Shannon Bennett and prepared by Raymond Capaldi and Robin Wickins?
The answer is the luckiest function space in Melbourne; Greenhouse by Joost.
If your not familiar with Joost,... then which designer rock have you been hiding under in Melbourne lately? Joost is the über talented florist/structural artist (in my humble opinion, check out his site for his view) that creates some of Melbourne's most interesting installations.

Tonight, I drank cocktails from thick rimmed jam jars, prepared by the crew at Seamstress and ate canapes from a rickety tins, courtesy of the Vue de Monde associations.
Open for the summer, this interesting space slots tightly into a Flinders St location just before the Swanston St corner. The building looks like it belongs there, but is only open for the sun to shine in for the next few months.
Featuring those newish toilets, were the hand basin water refills the bowl, and a whole lot of milk crates to hold up the stylist cheese displays... (tight budget I guess...;), a sustainably focused building of recycled materials.
I love the open brilliance of the space and the fashionable nature of the design, food and beverage.
Welcoming the warm spring Melbourne weather...

How to get a reservation at el Bulli

I’m forever giving advice about how to get a reservation at this place or that; can’t get the time needed or the right day or even a look in at all? Having problems getting the perfect spot, at that perfect restaurant? Any restaurant? Think you have virtually no probability of dining at el Bulli?
The thing is it’s really not that difficult, you just have to follow a few restaurant savvy guidelines.

Want to know more? Please read on…

Restaurants are fickle beasts, with many intricate workings and big personalities at play.
But the one personality that you have the most power over is your own... and this one is the key to getting a reservation, at any restaurant.
Gone are the days were you phone up and tell them your preferred date and time; now there are a whole lot of complications - no reservation polices, limited group reservations, credit card confirmations, email only bookings, months ahead bookings and just plain too-hard-baskets.
Well trust me, if a human nature is at play, as in just about all examples (lets exclude Momofuku Ko and their computer program for now) you can get a booking there by playing the reservation game well.

I saw Ferran Adrià speak in Melbourne on Sunday, he was here to promote his impressive new book A Day at elBulli. One of the things that struck me was his embarrassment at the books touted “2,000,000 requests for 8,000 places every year”. Matt Preston asked, virtually on behalf of the audience, so how do we get a booking? The response was a jumble of comments with an ‘I don’t know how he (the dining room manager Lluis Garcia) does it’ kind of philosophy and then jokes about how he couldn’t even get the interviewers a table.
In short, the reservationist has the power. And in short this happens every where…

So let us get this straight, at what I can only assume is the worlds most sort after restaurant reservations – el Bulli – Mr Lluis Garcia has the power to control the fate of your dining pleasure. I think it’s important to understand who is managing these things day to day; even within the most rigid computer based systems someone is managing the changes and substitutions, yes, a person. And this is where it gets interesting, because from experience being the person on the other end of the line, I know what works, and what doesn’t when it comes to getting that elusive table.

First of all, it’s about being realistic
A lot of Melbourne restaurants have recently opened with no reservation polices. So how do you dine there at 7.30pm on a Saturday night? Essentially, you don’t.
Some of the best advice I can give about no reservation polices is being flexible and empathetic. If you know its going to be busy - I assume it’s good, that’s why everyone is trying to go there – understand this and either arrive early (like 6 or 6.30) and get a good spot or be prepared to wait probably in their bar or close by, until space is free.
If you are part of a group larger than 2 or 3, this is more often than not, going to be the case. It can be like tetrus, mentally shuffling tables around to get the configuration right so as many people can dine as possible. This is good for both you, and the restaurant.
--In the case of el Bulli, find out when reservations open, know when to email, be open to different dates, BUT be realistic, you know the chances… you are likely to need to try a little harder. Keep reading on.

Second of all, it’s about being organised
If they do take bookings and you need that 7.30pm on a Saturday night, then book ahead. Ring weeks/months ahead if it’s a birthday or anniversary (you already know the date!) but don’t try that trick on a Friday afternoon and say it’s desperate because its your wife’s birthday, well sorry…
--In the case of el Bulli, you now know whom you are emailing, take advantage of that, email at the right time, have organised travel dates and leave the el Bulli date flexible. Does it have to be a Friday or Saturday night?

Be nice and ‘memorable’
Saying the right words will make you stand out from the crowd. When you phone that new hot restaurant, it doesn’t have to be grovely but using terms like “any chance you have spot free on Thursday night” or “I’d like to make a reservation, we would love to dine on Friday evening”, “we are flexible with time, when do you have free?” While the reservationist is flicking through pages or searching through the computer reservation system, be friendly tell them that you have heard great things – I can only assume its true and that’s why you want to dine anyway – it doesn’t hurt to be nice. If your lucky the last person to phone was abrupt and condescending (this is common, especially when reservations are hard to come by, people assume they need to fight for their place), and you will be remembered for your politness.
--In the case of el Bulli the memorable part comes into full swing. So you want to dine there, just the meal its self will set you back a few hundred dollars and that without travel costs and accommodation. Think of it like buying a large white good; for a new fridge, you’ll think about what you need, research it, shop around and then buy one. This could take many hours, why wouldn’t you invest the same amount of thought and time into securing a restaurant reservation were you quite likely will spend the same money.
Be creative; state your case about why you need to dine there, write a poem, make a short youtube video and send it to them, draw a picture, send a photo of you and your prospective dining companion. Be cheeky; email regularly, try phoning, get a Spanish speaking friend to help – no doubt it’s a saying for a good reason, the squeaky door does get the oil…

Accept a waitlisted table, but follow-up regularly
Or if one is not offered, ask for it. Better still accept the 9.30pm reservation you are offered when you tried to book the 8pm but ask to be waitlisted for something earlier. And make sure you call back, the day before and the afternoon of – most tables are allocated and shuffled for a dinner service the day of the reservation, lunches are often allocated the night before – make sure you follow the previous rule, be friendly and persistent. Try a “hi, me a again, any chance you’ve had a cancellation on an earlier table, just thought I would check, we would love to come earlier…”
Take a reservation of a different less busy night and be waitlisted for the desired night, they then know that you really want to dine their, your flexible and because they have spoken to you on the phone, they know you’re nice. The odds are in your favour.
--In the case of el Bulli, don’t accept no as an answer, ask when is possible, could you be waitlisted, is there something else either side of your requested dates. Ideally you want to have made an impression before this stage, but if not enough, keep on trying using the memorable techniques.

Things to remember
-don’t lie, you will get caught out and black-listed and then never be able to get in.
-don’t ring when it is likely to be busy, the idea is to have a chat and make a friend, you can’t do that when the dining room is full of guests. Some restaurants have dedicated reservations, but many don’t so don’t risk it. Call between 10am and 12noon or 4pm and 6pm. What about even popping in if you are close by, the perfect chance to make an impression!
-don’t name drop, don’t imply that your more worthy than others, don’t say that your friends with the owner, chef, supplier anyone (of course if you are then get them working for you, you don’t need to be reading this). As A Waiter says, restaurateurs don’t have friends, don’t push your luck, if your really a regular then the maître d' will see your wait listed name and look after you, of course, thank them when your next in.

If all else fails don’t be afraid to ask for advice from the reservationist, “How can I get a booking, when is it best to ring?” Ask them the rules of their game; no doubt they will be flattered you care.

And back to el Bulli. No I haven’t dined there yet, BUT I know that should I be heading to Spain again soon, I will be in a much better position to secure a booking than most of the other 2,000,000 enquires that year.

Dish of the Month - August and September

Well, here we are again...

A hiccup in my blogging world has lead me to combine August and September dishes of the month. This really needs to stop I know, but I'm none the less glad to share this with you, belatedly.

Dish of the Month, and probably dinner of the month, for August belongs to Cumulus Inc.

I had a mammoth 4 hour experience there grazing at the bar, watching the chefs, sipping wine, chatting to friendly faces and just loving the space.

I could include any number of dishes; from the broad selection of interesting charcuterie, to the salt cod soup, the sows ear silk purse or the as-boozy-as-you-can-bear rum baba. But the loving care that the shucked to order oysters received, has to make them extra special.

August Dish of the Month

Oysters at Cumulus Inc
Carefully, a wiggling shucker breaks the seal into the oysters briny home, pops the top off with a slip of the knife and they are ready to go. Plated with a cheek of lemon and perhaps a little swipe from a tiny artists brush to remove any shell remnants, you can watch them twitch as a squeeze of lemon juice dresses them before the plunge of your oyster fork.

The night we dined, I tried all 6 that were on offer, the Moonlight Flat angasi were the stand out. The menu lists that these have been identified as nearly identical to the celebrated French Bélon oyster. Meaty, iodine flavour with firmly textured flesh and a large white adductor muscle.

September Dish of the Month

Gravadlax at Gills Diner
An incredibly generous portion of house cured salmon, cured Scandinavian style with salt and sugar, also known as gravlax. Sliced thinly and served with a salad of picked soft herbs, some sliced cornichons, a lemon cheek and a quenelle of herby crème fraîche.
Clean, bright salmon flavours perfectly seasoned and utterly moreish, just the thing to accompany the fantastic house made breads.

I still have not gotten past the entrees at Gills, the portions are just too generous and we love the selection of sharable dishes.

I can't wait to get back to both of these Melbourne dining institutions in the making. No doubt with the current economic woes, casual dining spots like this - were you can feel comfortable having as much or as little to eat as you like - will become even more popular to the detriment of the formal experiences.
I for one, will not stop dining out but will probably be a little more tempted towards the accessible end of the market then the fancy end. I think dining out has become cultural for many Australians and giving up a key social part of the week will not happen, it will just become a little more informal, laid back and in line with the dining experiences of Cumulus Inc and Gills Diner.

Lucky Melbourne

Who says you need to travel to be inspired by the worlds best cuisine...

In the next six months, right here in little old Melbourne, I am seeing four chefs from the world's ten best restaurants, as voted by World's 50 Best Restaurants.

Next week it is Ferran Adrià from the #1 restaurant, El Bulli.
He is here to flog his new book, A Day at elBulli, of which I am also buying as part of my ticket price.

Then in March, at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Masterclasses, I am seeing Heston Blumenthal from The Fat Duck, rated #2, Thomas Keller from The French Laundry and Per Se, rated #5 and #6 respectively, and also René Redzepi from Noma, #10.

Now that's a pretty impressive list of powerful chefs to be visiting Melbourne. No doubt our local chefs will be on their toes should one of these guys turn up for a quick bite between engagements...

I wonder where Ferran will eat while in Melbourne? If you hear before I do, I'd love to know!

Rumi, Brunswick East

It's pretty obvious from just glancing over these pages that I'm a bit of a food freak, or nerd as I like to say.
I love it all; eating it, talking about it, playing with it and writing about it but one foodie area that I know I need to improve in, is my understanding of Middle Eastern food.

Lets just say, that I have a growing appreciation, for appreciating it more.

I've tried the usual suspects, Abla's et al, yet find the lack clarity in each flavour challenging - yes, I know that's the point - the flavours are actually combinations of flavours; spices, herbs and eclectic ingredients. It's a mine field of foreign-ness that can be intimidating, unless you grew up with it. I didn't, it was grilled lamb chops, peas and mash for me.

I love the subtle hints of these flavours in modern Melbourne food - Greg Malouf can take full credit for his influence on a whole generation of chefs - yet to understand the food better it's not just a flirt with the flavours that I need, it's a full on affair with the cuisine... but perhaps within an accessible modern package!

Here are a few of these modern Middle Eastern dining rooms in Melbourne. I liked Mama Ganoush, I'm keen to try Maha and I am awaiting Momo's reopening, but the answer right now is Rumi.

Situated on Lygon St, a tram ride north of the cheap Italian joints that the tourists frequent, Rumi is in a simple corner shop front, that just hums from opening time at 6pm. You can tell that you are in on a good thing when a place is this busy from the moment it opens. I feel like I have stumbled on a Middle Eastern version of Spice I am.

The room is basic, quite a few tables packed tetrus style into the space, but the friendly professionalism of the staff make you forget that you could easy steal a meatball from the table next door. An perhaps you should... the dishes are intended to share after all!

We begin by asking a few menu questions, this then leads into our waiter ordering for us, the trust was built and we feel in good hands, our only request was that the Persian roast goat be included and I'm glad we did, it was fabulous.

First was the sigara boregi; perfect cigar shaped rolls of crunchy pastry filled with a combination of haloumi, feta and kasseri cheeses. Who doesn't like warm cheese and pastry?

Next it was some 'baharat' spice dusted school prawns that were fried whole until crispy, these were served with an avocado, tahini and lemon dip. The prawns were well cooked and lightly seasoned, yet perhaps the idea of dipping them in avocado was a little strange to me. Avocado is definitely one of those fruits that are very wrong hot, but the rich creaminess was a great match to the textured, sweet prawns.
The prawns were served at the same time as a very seasonal little salad of baby beetroots, broadbeans and labne garnished with tarragon and mint. Fresh, fantastic flavours.

Then we had our way, the Persian goat. A few random cuts; part of a rack, some rounds of leg shank, a little bit of shoulder. All cooked to a sticky, pull apart and suck the bones perfection. Served with a side pot of spiced salt, essentially sea salt flakes with aromatic sweet spices of cinnamon, cardamom and perhaps some fennel seed. I could eat this dish everyday for a month and not tire of it, definitely on a must try list should you go.
To balance it all off there was some pilaf rice and a sweet and sour dressed cos leaf salad.
Unfortunately the desserts are forgettable and appear to be an after thought, so don't bother further than a couple of pieces of Turkish delight and perhaps a strong and sweet Turkish coffee.

The service at Rumi nearly stole the show over the food; friendly, accommodating, and happy to explain as much as possible. They are no doubt, use to people like me being unfamiliar with the cuisine style and have found a niche in sharing the experience with a wide variety of diners.

Rumi is a place that I'd recommend; the food is exciting and fresh in flavours, the service is smart and passionate, the wine list is simple, (but with BYO at $10 you can bring something nice from home) and the room absolutely buzzes with happy diners taking advantage of a reasonably inexpensive meal that educates the palate, and the mind.

Rumi
132 Lygon St
Brunswich East
ph: 93888255

A waiters rant

I’ve been reading Waiter Rant for a few years now, long before I even understood about blogs, so it’s with anticipation that I finally got my hands on a copy of his recently released book.
I’ve been thinking a lot about ‘A Waiter’s writing and witnessed my own waiters rant story the other day, perhaps it was my mood and anticipation of opening my newly purchased book, but I stopped with amusement and listened into this interesting conversation.

Waiting at the bar was a regular customer; always impeccably dressed in an old fashioned suit, complete with matching tie and pocket hankie, he sits waiting patiently, sipping his first Crown Lager for the day. Mr Old Fashioned, does old fashioned boys business, he conducts his business wrangling from the comfort of a plush restaurant, he is at this plush restaurant today and many others, many other days, I would not be surprised to learn if it was one every day of the week.
He waits patiently, flicking through the paper for his dining partner to arrive, we are friendly and jovial but he never seems interested to strike up a more personal conversation so, typically it’s only the paper that is his beer drinking companion. To be honest, we are usually too busy sipping first coffees of the day to mind.

Soon the other part of the dining duo arrives and they chat, order more drinks and eventually move in to the waiting table. As they walk through, another guest calls out and greets Mr Old Fashioned, quick introductions all round and then The Other Guest makes polite conversation that he is not at the other More Famous trattoria around the corner.
“No, I can never seem to get a table there” Mr Old Fashioned sighs
“oh” The Other Guest nods
“It’s just that they don’t have the right table, at the right time”
“Well it’s good here anyway, and have you tried the schnitzel?” The Other Guest changes the topic

I smile to myself, as I know EXACTLY what they are talking about and more importantly, why he can't get a table.
Mr Old Fashioned sits down and orders another Crown and the water glasses are removed (he doesn’t ‘do’ water).

I walk away and can’t help but openly giggle to myself, I was wondering about all of this, just the other day.
The More Famous trattoria is familiar to me, I worked there when it was hot, and Mr Old Fashioned was merely another punter. We didn’t like him because he was new and didn’t understand the rules… the tipping rules.
We did not give two hoots how often he came, (the owners did not seem too fussed either, actually) and it was in fact more painful, the more he dined. It became our responsibility to try and 'educate' him; by giving him the bad table, only at a late or early time, or just never quite being able to remember the brand of beer he liked, or perhaps remembering when they were a little warm… all sad but true.

The moral of the story is Mr Old Fashioned just doesn’t get the rules; tip or risk becoming a second priority customer. He doesn’t get it, or perhaps he does and stubbornly has moved on from the More Famous place as a result. Unfortunately, The More Famous place, had many more famous customers, so they probably have not even missed him.

I'm not sure if his 'education' will continue at the new place; experience has taught me, that these things work themselves out by the end of the week but with labour shortages in the hospitality industry, most waiters don't have this clarity from experience... he is at their mercy. So, perhaps a table by the toilet with a warmish Crown for a few months will prove the point. It’s always extremely professional, but never dream service; that’s saved for the people that do ‘get’ the rules.

Oh and before you all get parnoid; no, waiters do not spit in your food if they don't like you. Even 'A Waiter', says that is just going too far and from what I've read of his book, he does like a waiters game or two...

Wow! A night of surprises at The Good Food Guide Awards

Well, PDC and I sit here with proud smiles as I report on the excitement of The Age Good Food Guide Awards.

A few new awards and a couple of shocks...

2009 Awards
Restaurant of the Year - Attica (a fantastic result, well done!)
Best New Restaurant - Bistro Guillaume
Chef of the Year - Frank Camorra, MoVida
Young Chef of the Year - (two winners this year) Justin Wise, The Press Club and Christopher Donnellan, The Lake House
Service Excellence Award - Martin Fairhurst, The Lake House
Professional Excellence Award - Will Studd, -Cheese Campaigner (nice title!)
Outstanding Achievement Award - Con Christopoulos
Dish of the Year - Smoked trout broth, Attica (not too far removed from the pork broth that I loved there)
Country Restaurant of the Year - Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld
**Best New Country Restaurant - Tea Rooms of Yarck
**Winery Restaurant of the Year - Giant Steps (in the Yarra Valley)
Wine List of the Year - Circa, the Prince (again, congrats!)
Best Short Wine List - Ten Minutes by Tractor
**Bacchus (Don Levy Fitzpatrick) Award - Bar Lourinha
Website of the Year - Three, One, Two
Wine Service Award - Rocco Esposito, Wardens in Beechworh
**Interior Design - Giuseppe, Arnaldo and Sons (my friend was right, it is really amazing)


2008 Multiple hats of interest…
Three Hats
Jacques Reymond and Vue de Monde is back sharing the top pinnacle

Two Hats
Verge (back up again) MoVida (up from '07), Bistro Guillaume (a new entrant from across the boarder), Royal Mail Hotel (country section)

Up and Down
The Press Club - fallen a little from two hats, Chef and New Restaurant of the year in '08 to one hat... ouch

Well, I heard whispers that it was all about demotions this year, these places lost their only hat -
The Argo, Da Noi (nice dig!), Delizia Cucina, Fenix (watch for Ray next year), France Soir (ouch!), The Graham, Hotel Lincoin, Idea..., Maisonette, Maris, Middle Brighton Baths, Mirka (I told you it wasn't all that), Punch Lane (a sad loss), Shiranui

Controversy and surprises…
Taxi Dining room - did I miss it or did they lose two hats?? :O
Becco - 'The Boys' have had it good for a while, and now the playing field is levelled ;)
France Soir - hatless after such a long service to Melbourne

**New awards this year

Thoughts on the results??? Please join in...

12.30am Opps correction... Sorry to the Taxi team, as corrected by Niki, Taxi still has their two hats. Perhaps it was Shaun Micallefs speed to announce the winners or the bottle of Tuscan red in front of me, but I missed it and their hat status remains unchanged. Cheers and sorry!! Jack

Good Food Guide Awards tonight

Live streaming from The Age is just about to start.

So who wins what?

I'll be watching at home tonight and will report back with winners once the show is over.

Bon appetite...

The Amazing Race detours in Ho Chi Minh – Vietnam

In the style of ‘The Amazing Race’ we clamber through the sticky airport; international arrivals then to the domestic terminal and search the tv screen boards for the next flights to Phu Quoc or Nha Trang.
Having just missed the last flight to the island of Phu Quoc the decision is made, Nha Trang here we come… yet we have nearly three hours to kill until the first possible standby seats may be available. So we take, as the say on the Amazing Race ‘A Detour’, otherwise know as a stopover lunch in Ho Chi Mihn city.

Dumping the bags in storage at the terminal, and with a recommendation from an American sounding Vietnamese girl as she coded our bags, we jumped in a cab and head towards the Reunification Palace and what was promised to us as a local lunch spot “Not for tourists”, was the deal, “I eat there many times, it’s great”. Sold.

We are off, on the scooter and car horn filled streets, zig-zagging our way towards lunch, 25 minutes and a few grey hairs later we are standing out the front of an old colonial style house with a bamboo garden around the outside and what later turns out to be the prep kitchens for a large menu of simple Vietnamese dishes. Seated inside at a large thick wooden table I am excited, the food shooting past looks amazing – fresh, vibrant food – and lots of locals tucking in. Luckily the waiters are happy to play along and be patient with our guide book language skills.

Three dishes and a couple of Saigon Specials later we are satisfied, the suggestion has been fantastic. A salad of lotus stems with prawns and pork was garnished with prawn cracker spoons and had a side dish of a caramel, sticky chilli dressing. Delicious.
Next was a DIY number; some spiced prawn mince around sugar cane sticks with a plate of rice paper, some salad and herb leaves and slices of cucumber, star fruit and little squares of soft vermicelli noodles. A little bit of everything, a snug wrap and a dip into the nuoc cham dressing makes a bright fun dish, that PDC and I have instantly added to our barbeque share food repertoire .
The last dish was Banh Xeo; a favourite from the markets in Nha Trang that we experienced 3 years ago. A crispy pancake filled with meat and seafood, bamboo shoots and herbs, served folded with more fresh herbs and salad leaves and another dressing featuring chilli, fish sauce lime and sugar.

Total cost of this leg of the race
Banh Hoi Thit Heo Quay Cuon Banh Trang (DIY Rolls) 48 000 VD
Goi Ngo Sen Tom Thit (lotus stem salad) 42 000 VD
Banh Xeo (pancake) 24 000 VD

For the grand total of $12 Australian, including beers, water and tip.*

Quan an Ngon
138 Nam Khoi Nghia C3

Back out onto the street we hail a cab and head back to the airport. Mission complete, detour successful, tummies in-check and satisfied. Now to that plane to Nha Trang, and dinner to worry about.

*Out of interest, one Aussie Dollar is equal today to 15500 Vietnamese Dong.

Free Billecart Salmon Brut or roast goose in Hong Kong?

I must boast, I flew to Hong Kong yesterday, but my flight was delayed by nearly three hours.
We were given a voucher for food at the airport to tide us over for the wait, but all I could think about was that nothing was going to replace the roast goose I should have been eating on my arrival in Hong Kong… so we had Champagne. It was only just midday on Saturday but hey, we were on holidays!

More news to come from Hong Kong
~Lots of yum cha (dim sum in HK)
~Tomorrow night is L’Atelier Joel Robuchon. Will it be as good as the Paris original that I visited last year?
~Tonight is Hutong. Many food writers that I respect think that this place was overlooked for the Top 50 restaurants of the world list (it would be the highest ranking Chinese if listed) I’m looking forward to the chilli of Hutongs food, to clear out the head cold I developed just before the trip, just typical!

Stay tuned…